Dive Brief:
- The Canadian government is "very much engaged in finding a solution" to a controversial garbage dump in the Philippines, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and as reported by CNN.
- Trudeau said during a news briefing "legal barriers and restrictions" which prevented Canada from repatriating the garbage have been addressed. The Canadian government has concerns about who the financial burden of shipping the waste back to Canada will fall on, but has pledged that Canadian officials will work with the Philippine government to find a solution.
- The 103 shipping containers, weighing nearly 2,500 tons, have been making local headlines and leading to protests in Manila, the Philippine capital, according to Global News Canada.
Dive Insight:
The controversy began in 2013, when containers of trash were shipped from Canada to the Philippines. The shipments were reportedly allowed into the country because they were disguised as recyclable plastic and were impounded following an inspection from the Philippine customs bureau.
Local environmental and public health groups say that the shipping containers filled with trash could be hazardous, but a Philippine hazardous waste official from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources told CNN the trash is not toxic and some could be recycled.
A regional court in Manila ordered the return of 50 containers to Canada, paid for by the private Canadian company that had the garbage sent to the Philippines in the first place — though that order has not been implemented yet.